Looking for input here on Bone-in ribeye

[James]

So I have these two halves of bone-in ribeye that I’m aging…

They are about at 45-days by now… I am contemplating letting one go to 60 days and the other to 90 days. Rather than steak these out and trim when I’m done, I am planning on vacuum sealing them up in these giant foodsaver bags that I got and freezing them as whole roasts.

Here are my options:

1. Trim before sealing and freezing (whole roast)

2. Seal and freeze as is, no trimming…trim when defrosted before cooking.

3. Seal and freeze without trimming…cook as a roast without trimming.

What does everyone think about cooking an untrimmed ribeye roast? Will defrosting the untrimmed frozen roast while it is in vacuum-packing rehydrate the crust in someway to make it more edible if cooked without trimming?

[Ron Pratt]

James,
Trimming is a matter of personal choice. Many people trim way too much trying to get back to “grocery store red”. I personally merely skim off the utmost top layer. You will find that hard dark brown mellows when cooked and is quite tasty. OTOH there are some people who don’t trim at all. Some will say it is an acquired taste.

As for when you trim I say either way is fine. As for roasting the whole the only issue is with the bone in rib eyes then remember you are going to have to separate the individual steaks with a saw or sharp knife all the while the meat is getting cold.
Ron

[James]

Carving the whole ribeye roast into individual steaks after cooking won’t be a problem with my electric knife. I’m just concerned that if I cook the whole thing untrimmed, that the outer layer won’t mellow at all and might get even tougher. For a fresh roast, I would normally slather dijon mustard all over it and then cover it with rub and then smoke it to an internal temp of 120-ish. Then let it rest for a bit and then sear the outside at high temp.

I was thinking maybe the mustard would somewhat rehydrate the dry-aged crust during the cook along with any rendering of fat.

[Ron Pratt]

I don’t feel the mustard will rehydrate the exterior at all. The cells there have experienced the most water release in the whole subprimal, and those cells are not like sponges waiting to absorb moisture. Until you have tried it I again have to say “trust me” the exterior will become mellow and very tasty. But it is an acquired taste for some folks. If they don’t care for the intensity of that taste they can trim around it after grilled. You have spent this much time aging it then why trim it all back. Good luck! Ron

[James]

Maybe it’s best if I go ahead and trim the roast then. I get what you are saying about not overtrimming. Now that I think about it, cooking the whole dry-aged roast without trimming might prevent seasoning and smoke from penetrating into the roast.

[Author]

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